ABOUT INKOMOKO
Inkomoko supports entrepreneurs to grow their businesses in order to improve livelihoods, create jobs, and help communities thrive.
Founded in 2012, Inkomoko has worked with more than 60,000 entrepreneurs across East Africa, including thousands of refugee entrepreneurs. Inkomoko provides a combination of training, consulting, access to finance, and market-level systems change. We are the largest lender to refugee entrepreneurs in Africa.
Inkomoko has 700+ staff in 30 offices across Rwanda, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Chad. Through Inkomoko’s 2030 strategic plan, we are adding 4 additional countries to improve the lives of more than 7.6M people by serving more than 550,000 entrepreneurs and investing $150M into refugee & host communities across Africa.
INKOMOKO VALUES
All staff at Inkomoko are connected to a shared set of organizational values:
- Purpose: be solutions-oriented, produce high-quality work, be a global leader.
- Achievement: push yourself to reach beyond what you previously thought possible.
- Improvement: be humble, engage in continuous growth through open & accurate feedback.
- Bravery: willing to take risks, create a safe space for others, be compassionate, inclusive.
- We Eat Goat: we celebrate success and support each other in hard times. We do this work together in the spirit of turikumwe, tuko pamoja, abren nen, urang babarengan.
Inkomoko is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Refugees, women, and persons who reflect the diverse communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply.
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY & RESPONSIBILITIES
This position provides you with the opportunity to work directly with our entrepreneur clients in Inkomoko communities. As a member of the Business Growth Services team this role will contribute to the direct impact of Kenyan micro and small entrepreneurs to create thriving communities.
Inkomoko seeks a highly talented and experienced Business Development Advisor to coordinate and work directly with our entrepreneur clients in Nairobi.
The position holder will be based in Nairobi and will report to the Business Development Manager. Specifically, the positions responsibilities include:
Business Development Support & Client Relationship Management (50% of time)
- Recruit idea-stage and existing micro and small businesses for the Inkomoko program
- Conduct business assessments to identify entrepreneurs' needs and market opportunities
- Intake process of program entrepreneurs and conducting monthly site visits to assess business need and opportunities
- Provide informed, strategic, and realistic advice to help clients meet their objectives for business growth.
- Advise entrepreneurs on financing and investment opportunities/challenges;
- Help entrepreneurs prepare for financing or investment opportunities (Investment and equity financing). Conduct ongoing site visits to provide real-time coaching to the Business Associates (BA) and clients on existing business challenges and opportunities
- Connect clients to other Inkomoko services, including access to finance, advocacy and market linkages.
- Keep up-to-date the clients’ business information in an accurate manner using the applicable project management tools.
- Manage the schedule and delivery of services throughout entrepreneur engagements;
- Regularly track and report on the progress of entrepreneur work and deliverables;
- Assist investment colleagues with investment applications, due diligence, and any other investment processes.
Training (30% time)
- Manage training for all incoming refugees and host entrepreneurs in the Business Growth Department
- Implement training as part of the ongoing classes scheduled for Inkomoko entrepreneurs
- Identify and enroll entrepreneurs to join INKOMOKO program
- Deploy a wide variety of training methods both in person and digital - iterating as needed
- Coordinate with the training team/BAs in organizing training logistics, field activities such as focus group activities, refresher training and training supplies ensuring all are within budget.
- Provide the training using Inkomoko training materials in Kiswahili, English & any additional language as required within the area of operation
- Draft training reports and update the online reports;
- Mobilize and follow up on entrepreneurs to ensure high attendance;
- Participate in capacity-building workshops on a range of topics related to business growth, including HR, accounting, finance, marketing, human-centered design, and innovation.
Location activities coordination and administration (20% time)
- Develop a good relationship with all partners and local authorities in and near their work location
- Represent Inkomoko in all relevant location events and other partner stakeholder activities as guided
- Assist other Inkomoko staff with all location mobilizations & sensitizations
- Assist the MEL Department with surveys and data collection
- Support and coordinate with the MEL, training and admin teams on location activities
- Assist the Inkomoko Investment team to follow up with clients’ loan repayments
Communication & reporting (10%)
- Provide weekly and monthly program reports on time to the supervisors
- Communicate program details to host & refugee clients, as requested by Inkomoko
- Communicate to Inkomoko leadership about any gaps/challenge faced by clients during program implementation
- Represent Inkomoko as an ambassador, outreach to existing structures in the communities
- Perform any other duties as assigned
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We are looking for candidates who will navigate fast-paced and resource-constrained environments with enthusiasm, resilience, a sense of humor, and imagination.
The ideal candidate will fulfill the following requirements:
● Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration/Management or related field
● 3+ years of work experience in business development services or applicable field
● Experience in relationship management skills, business planning, and coaching
● Excellent computer skills, especially with MS Excel and Word
● Good written and oral communications skills
● Good presentation and training skills
● Shows perseverance, personal integrity, and critical thinking skills
● Show personal drive, initiative and learning agility
● Must speak fluent English & Swahili; knowledge of other local languages is an added advantage
● Must be able to legally work in Kenya
COMPETENCIES;
We are looking for someone who;
- Instills Trust - Follows through on commitments, builds credibility by being direct and truthful, and shows genuine care for staff members.
- Acts with Courage - Steps up to address difficult issues and speaks openly with bravery; takes the initiative to pursue new opportunities; takes full ownership of own work
- Makes Informed Decisions - Seeks relevant data and input when needed, takes appropriate action within their area of responsibility, and knows when to escalate issues or seek guidance.
WHAT YOU’LL GET
This role is inside a high-growth, mission-driven social enterprise. By joining, you’ll access:
- Competitive salary, and potential KPI-based bonus
- Incredible company culture, including deep investment in your learning and growth
- Diverse colleagues and policies that show our commitment to equity and inclusion
- Talented, passionate, and committed team colleagues across the region
- Ability to make a significant social impact to your community
- Generous health insurance, staff savings, parental leave, sabbatical, and more benefits.
TO APPLY
If you’re excited about this role, please submit your application through the application portal.
Tell us about what you’ll bring to this growing company.
Inkomoko is committed to justice, diversity, equity and inclusion. As we seek to reflect the communities we serve, refugees and women are strongly encouraged to apply. As a company we have policies that ensure fair treatment in the application process.
NB: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Employment is conditional upon successful background checks and other verification as needed.
All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and background screening checks. Inkomoko also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual misconduct, fraud, or abuse. By applying, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures."
